3rd Avenue bridge redo in Minneapolis begins with weekend closure

The 3rd Avenue bridge in downtown Minneapolis will close from Friday night to Monday morning to allow crews to reconfigure traffic lanes as a major rehabilitation project begins. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction with a dynamic transit lane and room for pedestrians and bicyclists starting Monday through Dec. 31.

Motorists on eastbound Interstate 94 approaching the Hwy. 101 interchange will need to use the right lane to access exits at Hwy. 610, Maple Grove Parkway and Weaver Lake Road. The left lanes, separated by a barrier, are reserved for through traffic and provide drivers no opportunity to get off the freeway until reaching the I-694/494/94 interchange.

A similar arrangement goes into place Friday on southbound I-35W, where motorists must decide which lane to take before the Minnesota River. The right lane provides access to Cliff Road, while the left lanes are reserved for drivers continuing through the construction zone into Burnsville.

"I suggest people plan ahead and watch for the signs indicating they need to get in the right lane to turn," said David Aeikens, spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Here are some other noteworthy construction zones:

1. I-35W: Ramps from northbound I-35W to S. 5th Avenue and from S. 4th Avenue to southbound I-35W are closed until July 31.

2. Hennepin Avenue: Lane reductions and full closure on some blocks between 12th Street and N. Washington Avenue.

4. I-694/494 in Woodbury: Westbound reduced to two lanes from Radio Drive to Century Avenue. Ramps from eastbound I-94 to northbound I-694 and northbound I-494 to westbound I-94 are closed until July 24.

5. Hwy. 95 in Denmark Township: Closed between 70th Street and Hwys. 61 and 10 until Aug. 28.

6. I-94 from Rogers to Maple Grove: For eastbound traffic, the left two lanes are through lanes with no on or off access to local roads until the I-94/494/694 interchange. The right lane provides access to exits at Hwy. 610, Maple Grove Parkway and Weaver Lake Road.

7. County Road 81/Bottineau Boulevard in Brooklyn Park: Closed between 79th Avenue and W. Broadway.

8. Hwy. 610 in Brooklyn Park: Single-lane traffic between the Mississippi River and Hwy. 169 until May 22.

10. Hwy. 5 in Bloomington and St. Paul: Eastbound lanes closed between I-494 and Davern Street; ramps from both directions of Hwys. 62 and 55 to eastbound Hwy. 5 are closed through mid-July.

11. I-35W in Richfield: Reduced to two lanes between 76th and 86th streets until Aug. 31; ramp from southbound I-35W to westbound I-494 closed until Sept. 1.

12. I-35W in Bloomington and Burnsville: Lane closures between 106th Street and Cliff Road from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily.

13. Hwy. 169 in Jackson Township: Reduced to one lane between 133rd Street and Old Brick Yard Road through mid-August.

14. Hwy. 13 in Prior Lake: Intersection of Hwy. 13 and County Road 21 closed through July 22.

16. Hwy. 101 in Chanhassen: Closed between Flying Cloud Drive and Lakota Lane.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768